JOS, Nigeria—For embattled Christians in Nigeria’s Plateau State, the best hope for many is a civil rights attorney with a knack for cheating death. Barrister Gyang Zi, 43, is no stranger to controversy in court or to danger in the North Nigerian city of Jos. The attorney, who earns less than $5000 annually, is among 254 Lawyers in Plateau State using personal finances to fight for victims of violations, said Mr. Panmak Lere, the leader of the Christian Lawyers Federation of Nigeria (CLASFON) in Plateau State. “The cases range from religious freedom cases for converts undergoing persecution; molestations and government recklessness; appeals against judgments or trials that are unjust or perverse, intervening for widows, orphans, indigents, inmates without legal representation, IDPs, as well as victims of injustice and religious violence,” Lere said. Zi has won suits for over 500 victims of violations, mostly against the Muslim-dominated Nigerian military, said his partner, …